The Chicken Club (The Flock)

Comment

Comment by Kate Clark on November 6, 2009 at 9:18am

Hmmm, I know what you mean Alicia. Our little group is kind of nice. It would be nice to get together just us at some time for a tour. On the other hand, as more and more folks learn about Transition Whatcom, it will get bigger and bigger. Eventually I suppose it will break out into neighborhood groups, (or small cities like Ferndale). Lots of chicken people and soon-to-be chicken people out there! I leave it to you, as far as a tour- and if we want to keep it to the current flock that's cool by me. Maybe next Saturday? Then the next day we can expand our membership...and see where it takes us!

Comment by Alicia Wills on November 6, 2009 at 7:47am

PS Isn't it funny how process becomes such an integral part of everything - even on a page talking about the basics of loving and raising chickens!! So much to learn about taking new paths and functioning within communities.

Comment by Alicia Wills on November 6, 2009 at 7:40am

As I said in my first post, I am quite willing to organize a tour - but it seems to be growing beyond my first thought. I had envisioned a tour just for the Flock - to start. So we could meet and get a visual of what we've been talking about here. And definitely by carpool as some of our members are out in Ferndale and some of an age not to be biking all over the county. ;-} I can proceed with this using email among our current members and then posting it on the Events Calendar or wait for the Walk the Walk and let it take its own course. I perceived this as a small individual effort on behalf of a small community in this movement. But I'm also open to letting it leave me and become a collaborative event. What do you think, Kate?

Comment by Kate Clark on November 5, 2009 at 10:48pm

Let's put up a sign up sheet and meet face to face at the Walk the Walk event...I hope you all are coming. I feel I know you all so well already!

Comment by Chris Wolf on November 5, 2009 at 1:47pm

I would also be interested in a carpool or biking chicken coop tour-- great idea, Alicia. I will sign up our house/coop to be one of the stops-- we live in the York neighborhood near Lakeway. Alicia, do you want to organize this? (I am organizing too many things already!) You could pick a date and put it on the Transition Whatcom "Events" calendar.

Comment by Ro Donelson on November 5, 2009 at 10:38am

Yes, Kate there are solar charged fence batteries. I've seen them on line, but I'd try Whatcom Farmers' Coop (Cenex) or Hardware Sales in order to support local business. Your Jack Russell comment made me smile. I had one when I was a child and she was the best dog ever - a curious, loving, ball of boundless energy following 5 kids on bikes all over town. Alicia, I like your idea of a field trip - a great way to glean knowledge and get to know one another. I'm enjoying this group on line, I'm sure we'd have fun face-to-face.

Comment by Alicia Wills on November 5, 2009 at 9:27am

Thanks, Kate. I joined this later on - has there been any thought of a field trip to go visit everyone's coops? Maybe with a bag lunch and two vehicles? I'm sure we could learn a lot from each other by seeing how we all keep our chickens. If everyone sent me their locations, I could map a route and find a Saturday or Sunday that might work for those interested. We could use my email for the scheduling/mappng exchanges. Any interest - or has this already been discussed?

Comment by Kate Clark on November 5, 2009 at 9:13am

My girls are all enclosed in a pen with the coop inside...sort of a long run with the coop at one end. The wire goes outside the pen just a couple inches from the pen itself and about 6 inches up. The unit with the batteries attaches to the side of the coop, and the wire goes all the way around the whole thing. As animals come up (like our dogs did the first day) and are totally fascinated by the chickens they get close and the first thing they do is sniff the wire...and zap. Our three dogs yelped and ran or trotted away VERY quickly and did not return (ok, the jack russell came back for one more). Four or five times in the very beginning I heard some wild animals try it out at night- they make more of a loud squeak! Our dogs stay well away now, and I think the wild beasts do too- it only takes one zap (unless your a jack russell) because its pretty strong- I zapped myself to check it was working.

If you wanted to let them out of the run during the day, you'd have to turn off your zapper and just pull your wire up so they could go through and put it back down to six inches from the ground at night and then be sure to turn it back on.

Comment by Alys Kennedy on November 5, 2009 at 9:08am

Oh, Danah, I am so sorry about you losing your girls to a racoon....that is so sad....I too have lost chickens to racoons and to dogs; and once they find that you have chickens, they are very presistant critters. I also have a very secure chicken house if you are interested in seeing it. Although, I must admit that I will now reinforce my closures for the doors, as there is a new one that is not as secure as it should be....I am thinking I will hook it from the inside. That way there is no way a coon can get it open. And, Brian, I would love to know what you have done to make your chicken house secure.

Comment by Alicia Wills on November 5, 2009 at 7:39am

Okay, I'm curious. How do you set up an electric fence around your chickens without the chickens frying themselves on it? Where do you put the wire to keep predators out but miss the chickens? I've had no problems (knock on wood) with coons for six years, although I have a dog and so do all my neighbors, which may be why.

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